The Hasslefree Grymn range is a little smaller than those of most other space dwarf miniature manufacturers, as mentioned in the recent Torsten post. I think it looks fine with my other Space Dwarfs too really.

L to R: Grymn Walker, Chaos Space Marine

There is a corresponding separate pilot figure for this model. There is also a version of the chassis with the cockpit open showing the pilot all tucked up in it. I dont know if the open version is still available, but it can be seen on Insos Grymn blog here. I have the pilot model lined up for painting at a later date.

Thanks Andrew! I have a group shot planned for within the next month or so, but I am hoping to have a few more figures finished before then. My already limited photography skills and set-up dont really accommodate group shots very well, but I will see what I can manage.

Scale is a bit of an issue when mixing the Ursa Miners together, but I have decided not to stress too much about it. I am keeping all members of each unit from the same or very similar manufacturers but beyond that I am letting it all hang out. It will be interesting to see how the whole lot look together in the end.

And of course if Statuesque Miniatures bring out any space dwarfs I would love to include a few in the Miners (and in an order with the Vespera Venko that I have been ogling too).

Back on the subject of camoflage, as you mentioned the more special pieces tend to receive more camo effects and this model certainly looks great with its greater percentage of camo vs. black. This model is not exactly designed the same but nevertheless really reminds me of the exo-suit from District 9 which is a good thing being as it is one of the best movie exo-suit scenes in any film I have seen.

The transfers were an obvious risky choice what with them being well known parts with a strong style tie-in with the Tau range from which they come. I think you have carried if off though as I think “Manga” rather than “Tau” when I look at the model.

Even though it’s for skirmish wargaming I really think you should consider some kind of heavy armored transport for the ursas (possibly even a VTOL such as a gyrocopter) if you haven’t already. Some kind of urban assault vehicle would be cool given the urban colour scheme. You are quite capable of churning out some original and cool looking tanks which you do rarely enough. I still fondly remember that slime filled Rhino featured in White Dwarf.
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If it was a tunneler (Total Recall style?) then even better. I plan on doing a couple of vehicles for the 1989th with the idea that they should support the playing of small skirmish games, so more about transport/deployment/support vehicles that can drive the protagonists into trouble. I can see me doing them a Salamander scout vehicle conversion for the command squad, chimera for more general transport duties, perhaps a small starship troopers dropship (cause I think they look cool) and so forth.

The walker definitely looks like it was manufactured by some industrial entity other than the one that made the Forgefather armour or the Jotunn (not-Thudd Gun). The walker aesthetic is even slightly different to Torsten and his ilk and Hasslefree miniatures make both of those models.

Rather than sticking to self-imposed rules about what is and is not plausible/”realistic” or otherwise kosher for what I am including in this force I am simply going for whatever miniatures I like (within reason) and painting them all (roughly) the same. I have been more rigid with my miniature forces in the past and all it did was limit the amount of cool miniatures that I was “allowed” to paint. These days I am content that a consistent colour scheme applied to the lot will be sufficient to tie them together. Differing equipment and armour styles can be explained away in numerous ways with application of handwavium anyway.

While the Tau transfers are particularly familiar to Tau players I think that they are generic and TRON enough enough to look ok here. As it happens a couple of the transfers are actually Eldar warning symbols and kill markings. I added a couple to Torsten and the old Ad Mech squat too, but they arent visible in the photos.

I am with you all the way regarding the addition of a few vehicles to a skirmish force. I wouldnt intend to play any games that feature more than one or maybe two per side, but using APCs or similar in a fashion that vaguely resembles how they might function in an actual battle rather than kamikaze runs directly towards the enemy sounds like fun. So I have a few plans for Ursa Miner vehicles 🙂

The VTOL that I have planned is this 25mm one that I bought hoping to use with 28mms back in 1991 or so. It is too small to use with 28mms, but its passable with Dwarfs. I have a simple “chalk” team assembled for grav-chuting out of it at some point 🙂 As I had the model already I decided to shoehorn it in here to save me a few quid.

The Ursa Miner “Termite” is the Ramshackle “Boring Machine”. It isnt so much a tank that moves around the board but an insertion/extraction method like a drop pod or similar. Ridiculous but fun.

Another old kit that I plan to use with the Miners is this “sci-fi APC” from Scotia Grendel. Its a heavily armed APC which is pretty much the largest sort of vehicle that I want to use in my games, even if the mission is simply to across the battlefield to board it or something. An MBT equivalent is overkill at this scale I think. The sci-fi APC looks just about a similar tech level to the Grymn walker I reckon.

I also plan to add a Forgefather Iron Ancestor. If the Grymn walker is an armoured sentinel, then the Iron Ancestor is a dreadnought.

Lastly a guy who I occasionally chat with online traded some 25mm sci-fi jeep type vehicles originally from Old Crow. I have converted one into a technical. Im not sure how well technicals fit into the armies ethos, but adding a couple of buggy type light vehicles will be fun, so I am going to do it.

As for your guard, surely the 1989th deserve a sentinel in addition to the other three vehicles (all of which I approve of incidentally), just because it looks cool if nothing else. The “new” plastic one though, not that ridiculous egg one from the 80s 🙂

LOL I have one of the egg things. Perhaps I should consider reconditioning one of my old looted ork sentinels back into the service of the Emperor. I will probably paint up both for giggles.

From your reply you clearly have all the appropriate bases covered. That tank did catch my eye on their website, before you mentioned it. The Technicals sound fun with a heavy bolter on the back or something. I didn’t see that Iron Ancestor variant before, it’s cool.

I better create some tarantula’s in case I ever have to face these fearsome Ursas!

I was only messing 😉 I figured that you probably had one of the egg-sentinels somewhere. You should definitely add that to the 1989th. If you dont add it to that project then its going to sit in a box for another twenty years at least. Plus its a fun bit of RT history anyway, even if it is a little daft looking.

These guys did a decent enough job on their perambulatory chicken periods last year, but they confirmed what I expected about that model: that its fragile and awkward. Out with the Araldite and a nice broad 50mm round base – like the one on the Brymn walker above – to minimise risk of toppling Id say.

It would be a shame to chop up anything like your old looted sentinels. Better off buying a new one – which would save you time too Id say. Although one egg should cover your light walker needs more than adequately anyway Id say.

The technicals will be a bit of fun. The one that I have done some work on has the old Epic plastic Warlord titan Plasma Cannon (I think that it got re-christened “Plasma Destructor” at some stage. I cant remember. Its the bigger plastic titan plasma weapon) and some goofy looking Mantic dwarf nonchalantly posing with it. It might work out…

I would love a couple of tarantulas for the Miners. Mole mortars would be fun and thematically apt too I guess, but the backwards-facing-mortar look never sat right with me.

The Ursa Miners and the Necromunda 1989th just have to meet some time soon. Make it happen 🙂

Saw that sentinel post before, he assembled the legs a little weirdly, they look much better if you angle them like the modern sentinel. It’s an awful model but has a lot of kitsch in my mind so it goes in the force. One of my old ork looted sentinels never got the finish the two tournament ones got so is perfect for this project. I am never going to use it as an ork vehicle now anyways so to the chop shop with it!

It may make more sense to do a modern walker first as they look better and also I might make a mould of the old one first for posterity before I put work in on it.

I am with you on mole mortars, they just looked like stupid backwards mortars. The number of times I have seen the Epic mole mortars mounted backwards by the person who painted it I tells ya.

Yeah, those sentinels have been assembled in a slightly gawkier way than necessary. They look better with the leg joints running in opposing directions on the same leg if you know what I mean. Like an ostrich. I guess gluing them like that may have simply been easier, but it doesnt look quite right. Nice army though.

Yes opposite directions is a better way to put the key idea of assembling this guy. The legs are terrible but I still want to cast them up as I can see lots of uses for them in making scenery and odd agri-vehicles etc.

The sentinel models legs are terrible, as is the rest of it frankly. Nostalgia is responsible for 100% of my interest in that item. Far from an old classic – its just old. As long as it doesnt fall apart during a game. Thats where nostalgia and I part ways.